The present invention relates generally to audio and video simulations of a pre-recorded musical performance.
More particularly, this invention pertains to the generation and control of a simulated musical concert experience and participation by a musician in a pre-recorded musical performance using a musical instrument as the control device.
Virtual reality systems are generally recognized to be a combination of computer hardware, software, and peripherals which recreate a virtual world or virtual environment using a video display, often in combination with an audio sound system. Conventional virtual reality systems are quite complex, combining the hardware, software, and peripheral devices in a specific manner to immerse or subject the user of the system to visual and sound stimuli which simulate a real world experience. Typically, a virtual reality system further includes one or more input devices and interface software so that the user of the system can interact with the virtual environment that is being recreated, such as to simulate the user movement in the environment or manipulation of virtual objects reproduced in the virtual environment.
Virtual reality systems in the prior art have been used for entertainment purposes, to conduct scientific experiments, or to allow a user to indirectly carry out tasks which would otherwise be too difficult or dangerous when conducted in a real environment.
To a lesser extent, virtual reality systems have been used to create and control a virtual world that responds to music signals or to pre-recorded control tracks corresponding to music signals. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,129, which describes a virtual reality in which a music source is connected to an electronic interface and to a virtual reality processor. The system is further controlled by one or more input devices, such as a head tracker and manipulator glove. The pre-recorded music, along with an optional pre-recorded control track, controls and manipulates objects within the virtual environment such that the music effectively drives the display of an animated graphical scene. However, the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,129 does not provide a simple and effective method for allowing a musician to participate in and control a "virtual environment" through the actual operation of a musical instrument, such as an electric guitar. Such a system would provide a source of entertainment to professional and amateur musicians alike. It also would assist musical instrument manufacturers in promoting the sale of their instruments by allowing a prospective purchaser to recreate a musical concert, to simulate the musician's participation in the concert, and to control the sound portion of the concert through operation of the guitar or other instrument. Preferably, such a simulation system would minimize the use of complex and expensive hardware and software so that the system would be easy to set up and affordable even at the retail store level. Such a system is lacking in the prior art.